These Hudson Valley Billionaires Are Among Richest In US: Forbes

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — The coronavirus has wreaked havoc on the U.S. economy, yet billionaires in the Hudson Valley and across the globe are significantly wealthier than they were a year ago, according to this year’s recently released Forbes World's Billionaires List.

The number of billionaires on Forbes’ 35th annual list jumped to an unprecedented 2,755 people, 660 more than a year ago. Altogether, they are worth $13.1 trillion, up from $8 trillion in 2020.

Among those on the list, 86 percent are richer today than they were a year ago.

The numbers will likely spark outrage, writes Forbes Chief Content Officer Randall Lane. “There’s no getting around a collective $5 trillion wealth surge during a pandemic, when most of the world felt scared, sick, besieged,” he wrote in a comprehensive essay titled “Operation Wealth Speed."

However, “the underlying trends offer a road map to greater prosperity for all,” he continued. “Like anything else salvaged from a once-a-century plague, we just need to be brave enough to harness it.”

A total of 12 billionaires on this year’s list hail from Hudson Valley, according to Forbes. David Siegel of Scarsdale is at the top. He is the co-founder of Two Sigma Investments, a hedge fund firm that manages $60 billion, according to a Forbes profile.

Here are the billionaires from the Hudson Valley on the list:

• David Siegel, Two Sigma Investments, $6.5 billion, Scarsdale
• Thomas Secunda, Bloomberg LP, $3.5 billion, Croton-on-Hudson
• Amy Goldman Fowler, real estate, $3 billion, Rhinebeck
• David Gottesman, First Manhattan Co., $2.8 billion, Rye
• Jeffrey Talpins, Element Capital Management, $2.1 billion, Larchmont
• Leonard Schleifer, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, $1.8 billion, Tarrytown
• David Lichtenstein, real estate, $1.7 billion, Monsey
• Nelson Peltz, Trian Fund Management, $1.6 billion, Bedford
• Barry Silbert, cryptocurrency, $1.6 billion, Rye
• Alan Gerry, cable television, $1.5 billion, Liberty
• Michael Steinhardt, hedge funds, $1.2 billion, Mount Kisco
• George Yancopoulos, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, $1.1 billion, Yorktown Heights

To compile this year’s list, Forbes used a snapshot of its real-time billionaires' rankings by analyzing stock prices and exchange rates for March 5.

A record 493 people made their debut on this year’s list. Another 250 who’d fallen off in the past made a reappearance, according to Forbes. This year’s list includes a record 328 female billionaires, up from 241 in 2020.

Soon-to-be-former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos retained the top spot on this year’s list for the fourth consecutive year. Bezos, who founded the e-commerce giant out of his garage in Seattle, Washington, will step down as CEO at the end of this year.

Meanwhile, Elon Musk soared to the No. 2 spot, up from No. 31 on last year’s ranking. Bernard Arnault of LVMH remains at No. 3, followed by Bill Gates at No. 4. Rounding out this year’s top five is Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg.

Michael Bloomberg leads the New York State billionaire contingent, coming in at No. 20. His net worth is $59 billion.

See the full 2021 Forbes Billionaires List.